How to Eat Sushi

There
are no special rules of how to eat
sushi. They are plain dinner table rules that can relate to any cuisine.

Sushi is generally eaten
with the hands.
Steamed towels (oshibori) will be
brought after you are seated. Clean your hands and neatly roll, or fold
the
towel and keep it aside for later use. Lighter tasting ingredients
should be
consumed early to enjoy their delicate flavors. When seasoning the
sushi with
soy sauce, try to season the fish(or the main ingredient), rather than
the
rice. Tilt the sushi while holding it securely with your fingers.
Although
rarely done, sushi should be consumed upside down, with the main
ingredient
facing down. Soy sauce should not drip, since only a small amount
should be
used in the first place.

The sushi is supposed to
be consumed in one
bite. A good sushi chef should be able to estimate the size of the
sushi by
looking at the customer. So if the sushi is too big and you have to
bite it in
half, it is not your fault.

After eating the sushi,
wipe your fingers
that were used to hold the sushi. Simply rub it against the towel
without
picking it up. Some good sushi restaurants prepare special dampened
cloths that
are folded, and placed near you just for this reason. Before you move
on, eat a
piece of pickled ginger (gari) to
wash or “reset” your palate. Sipping rice wine (sake)
is effective as well. Repeat the cleansing of the fingers and
palate after each sushi.